Handle for synthetic resinous bags



Nov. 21,1967 5. KAMINS ETA'L v 1 HANDLE FOR SYNTHETIC RESINOUS BAG SFiled Aug. 9, 1965 United States Patent O 3,353,741 HANDLE FORSYNTHETICRESINOUS BAGS Seymour Kamius, Oceanside, and Norman Rosenberg, Bayside,N.Y., assignors to C-Thru Products Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., a corporationof New York Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 478,213 1 Claim. (Cl. 22954)Ansr R a c'r ()1 THE DISCLOSURE A handle for synthetic resinous bagscomprising a pan of interconnectible, handles, each of which is providedwith downwardly extending leg portions at the ends thereof which areheat sealed, using a bar seal to the inner surface of the syntheticresinous bags, the legs having a principal axis parallel to. the lineof'forceiexerted bythe load carried within the bag. a a

This invention relates generally to the field of synthetic resinouscarrying bags of the type disclosed in Patent No. 3,140,038 granted toLeon Laguerre July 7, 1964, and more particularly to an improved handleparticularly adapting the same for supporting relatively heavy loadswithin an associated bag.

In bags of the above-mentioned type, the body of the bag is normallyfashioned from synthetic resinous sheet material in such manner as toprovide a pair of sides which are heat-sealed along the edges thereof.The upper edges define the mouth of the bag, and a synthetic resinoushandle element comprising two parts is heat-sealed within the opening toprovide means for opening and closing the bag as well as carrying thesame.

While bags of this type have many uses, normally they are not adaptedfor use in supporting relatively heavy loads owing to the fact that thebar seal along the edge of the synthetic resinous walls comprising thebag will rip under such conditions. It is to be understood that it isnot the actual seal which fractures, but the material immediatelyadjacent to the seal which forms the wall of the bag. Material such asvery thin polyethylene, or rubber hydrochloride, has relatively lowtensile strength, and will stretch prior to rupture where the absence ofthe seal does not prevent the stretching incident to rupture.

The tendency to stretch and subsequently rupture in the above-describedmanner is increased by the fact that the usual handle interconnection,as disclosed in the abovementioned Laguerre patent, is along a lineperpendicular to the force of gravity exerted by the load containedwithin the bag. We have found that where the line of interconnectionbetween the handle and the bag is parallel to the line of action of theforce caused by the supported load, the tendency of the bag to tear canin all cases be reduced and in most cases substantially eliminated.

It is therefore among the principal objects of the present invention toprovide an improved handle construction for use with a syntheticresinous-type bag in which the handle element is secured to the bag insuch manner that relatively heavy loads can be safely carried.

Another object of the invention lies in the provision of an improvedhandle construction of the class described for use with syntheticresinous bags, possessed of the above advantage, in which the cost offabrication may be directly comparable with existing prior art handles,whereby the same may enjoy consequent wide sale, distribution and use.

Yet another object of the invention lies in the provision of an improvedhandle construction for use with synthetic resinous bags which may beemployed in the manufacture of such bags, using existing techniques andmachinery, with little or no modifications thereof.

Yet another object of the invention lies in the provision of an improvedhandle construction which may be of unusually attractive appearance.

A feature of the disclosed embodiment lies in the fact that the basicconstruction may be used in conjunction with handle-gripping portionshaving a wide variety of shapes and designs.

These objects and features, as well as other incidental ends andadvantages, will more fully appear in the progress of the followingdisclosure, and be pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing, to which reference will be made in the specification,similar reference characters have been employed to designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views.

' FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary view in' perspective of an embodiment of theinvention.

- FIGURE 2 is a similar fragmentary view in perspective, showing certainof the component parts in altered relative condition.

FIGURE 3 is a view in perspective showing the embodiment in fully loadedcondition, and with the carrying handle and elements thereof ininterconnected condition.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view as seen from the plane4-4 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view as seen from theplane 55 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view as seen fromthe plane 6-6 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view as seen from the plane77 in FIGURE 1.

In accordance with the invention, the device, generally indicated byreference character 10, comprises broadly: a bag element 11 and a handleelement 12.

The bag element 11 may be of a conventional expandable type 14,including first and second sidewalls 14 and 15, first and secondfoldable end walls or gussets 16 and 17, respectively, and a bottom wall18. A continuous upper edge 19 defines the open mouth of the bag inwhich the handle element 12 is secured, and forms the meeting of theinner surface 20 and outer surface 21 of the bag element 11.

The handle element 12 is preferably injection-molded of syntheticresinous material which is compatible for heat-sealing purposes with thematerial used to form the bag element 11. It includes first and secondhandle members 23 and 24, respectively, each having correspondingselective mutual interconnecting means 25 (see FIGURES 4 and 5), as iswell-known in the art, The base member 26 of each of the members 23-24is bounded by a lower edge 27 and an upper edge 28, as well as sideedges 29 and 30 which bound a planar surface 31 against which an upperportion of the bag element 11 is sealed.

Extending downwardly from each end of the base member 26 are first andsecond leg portions 32 and 33. A surface 37 is continuous with thesurface 31, whereby the leg portions 32-33 and the base member 26 mayform a continuous bar sealing area 38 against which the inner surface 20of each sidewall 14-15 may be pressed during scaling to form theinterconnection between the bag element 11 and the handle element 12.

In fully opened and loaded conditions, as seen in FIG- URE 3 in thedrawing, the weight exerted against the inner surface of the bottom wall18 is transmitted up the first and second sidewalls 14-15 to theinterconnected handle element 12. As has already been experienced in theart, the tearing of the bag has normally occurred immediately below thelower edge of the base member 26 along a vertical line. In the presentconstruction, a very large amount of the strain is transferred to thoseportions of the bag which are interconnected to the leg portions 32-33.Here, however, the strain which is in a vertical direction is resistedby the relatively long vertical portions of the sealed area 38, andwhile the same stresses are present, varying with the weight of theload, the strain which results from the same is reduced to a point whereit is practically negligible. Since the base member 26 is disposedbetween the leg portions 32 and 33, the stresses which would normallystretch the interconnection between the bag and the base member are alsoalleviated to the point Where little if any stretching occurs.

We wish it to be understood that we do not consider the inventionlimited to the precise details of structure shown andset forth in thisspecification, for obvious modifications will occur to those skilled inthe art to which the invention pertains.

We claim:

In a bag of thin flexible synthetic resinous sheet material having amouth defined by two opposed walls, and a pair of synthetic resinoushandle members each interconnected to one of said walls, said handlemembers having means for mutual interconnection, the improvementcomprising: said handle elements each having a base member, said basemember being interconnected substantially at an upper edge portion of arespective wall and confined to a relatively central portion thereof,said base portion having. first and second ends; a leg portion extendingdownwardly from each of said first and second ends a distance sufiicientto resist vertical strain on said bag and disposed in coplanar integralrelation with respect to said base portion; said leg portions and baseportion being interconnected to a planar surface of a corresponding wallas a result of heat-sealing, the interconnection of each of said legportions being in the form of an elongated bar seal the axis of which isparallel to the axis of said leg portion; said base member beinginterconnected to a respective wall by a bar seal the axis of which'isperpendicular to the axis of the bar seals between said leg portions andsaid respective walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,733,219 10/1929 Duvall 229-522,458,173 1/1949 Kardon 229-54 2,722,367 11/1955 Verlin 229-54 2,846,1348/1958 Moubayed 229-54 3,128,035 4/1964 Teweles 229-54 3,140,038 7/1964Laguerre 229-54 3,227,358 1/ 1966 Laguerre 229-54 FOREIGN PATENTS592,713 2/ 1960 Canada.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Assistant Examiner.

